Germany: Building on a 2015 order for 30 units, Hessische Landesbahn has directly awarded Alstom a contract to supply five more four-car Coradia Continental EMUs to support a predicted increase in ridership in the Rhein-Main region.

Israel: A contract worth up to €900m for preferred bidder Siemens to supply to ISR with up to 60 four-car and six-car Desiro HC double-deck EMUs over 10 years was signed in Lod on March 7 (RG 11.17 p11). There is a firm order for the supply of an initial six four-car and 18 six-car EMUs and the provision of 15 years of maintenance.

Iran: Stadler and IDRO signed a letter of intent on February 28 for the potential supply of metro cars to Tehran. The Swiss company told Railway Gazette that contrary to some media reports, a firm deal had not been signed.

Lithuania: Orlen Lietuva has awarded Vilniaus Lokomotyvų Remonto Depas a contract to repair around 500 wagons/year over three years.

Netherlands: NS announced on February 26 that the fleet of around 400 trainsets which it uses on the main line network was now being leased from Netherlands-based NS Lease, rather than Irish-registered NS Financial Services Co Ltd. Taxes will now be paid locally, ending an arrangement which had attracted criticism from politicians.

Tramwaje Śląskie has placed a 29m złoty order for Modertrans to supply eight unidirectional and two bidirectional 50% low-floor single-unit trams by July 2020, co-funded by the EU. There are options for five more.

Industrial Division has ordered a Siemens Vectron MS locomotive for use by its Cargounit subsidiary from September. It will be equipped with ETCS and certified for operation in Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

PKP Intercity has signed a contract with FPS H Cegielski for the supply up to 81 TSI-compliant coaches of five types for operation at 200 km/h. A base order for 55 coaches is valued at 564m złoty. Deliveries must be completed within 48 months, and a further four years has been allowed for the supplier to obtain certification for operation in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

A consortium of ZNTK MM and its parent company Pesa was sole bidder for a 42m złoty contract to supply 10 Type 140A/112A coaches to PKP Intercity.

PKP IC is to lease the two Newag Griffin locomotives which were not acquired by Lotos Kolej (RG 3.18 p19).

Newag was sole bidder to supply Świętokrzyskie voivodship with two four-car Impus DMUs in October 2018 and February 2019 for 44m złoty.

Russia: Novotrans is to lease more than 8 000 wagons from Alfa-Leasing under a seven year contract.

RM Rail has certified its Type 15-1210-01P vegetable oil tank wagon in compliance with Eurasian Economic Union standards for transporting food products. ‘The main advantage of our design is a steam heating jacket’, said Sales Director Alexander Kulikov. ‘It not only preserves all the qualities of the product, but also allows transportation of up to 15 types of edible oils.’

Neftetransservis is to buy 14 000 petro­leum tank wagons from Oteko, which is disposing of its rail activities. NTS currently operates 22 7000 petroleum wagons, of which it owns 14 000.

Serbia: On February 21 TŽV Gredelj began delivering 100 Y25 Ls1 (K) wagon bogies to Beograd-based company World Business Center.

Slovakia: ZSSK has awarded a consortium of Škoda Vagónka and ŽOS Trnava a €160m contract to supply 13 three-car and 12 four-car RegioPanter dual-voltage EMUs for regional services around Žilina. Škoda will be responsible for delivery and approval of the first two, while ŽOS Trnava will assemble the remaining units using bodyshells, bogies and traction packages supplied by Škoda. Delivery is scheduled within 24 months.

CZ Loko is to supply CER with a 3 kV DC/25 kV 50 Hz EffiLiner 3000 electric locomotive, which is to be rebuilt from an ex-SNCB Class 12.

Slovenia: At cost of €5·1m, Slovenia Railways’ freight business has bought 30 second-hand Sggrrs wagons from Innofreight Austria and leased 60 RockTainer containers for five years.

UK: Vivarail is to supply West Midlands Trains with three two-car Class 230 D-Train DMUs produced using aluminium bodyshells and bogies from withdrawn London Underground D78 trainsets. They are to be used from December on the Bedford – Bletchley line.

John Laing Group plc announced on March 13 that it had agreed to sell its 15% stake in the Intercity Express Programme Phase 1 to AXA for £227·5m. IEP Phase 1 comprises a 27½ year contract to finance, supply and maintain 57 Hitachi InterCity Express Trains for use by the Great Western franchisee. Following the transaction, the consortium will be owned by Hitachi Rail Europe (70%), John Laing Infrastructure Fund (15%) and AXA (15%).

At cost of £106m, Transport for London has extended to May 2030 Bombardier’s 2006 contract to maintain the Class 378 EMUs it supplied for London Overground services.